BLACKSBURG — Just getting Dadi Nicolas to Virginia Tech, and keeping him there once he arrived, has taken some effort. Now that he's firmly entrenched in his own unique role, it's starting to pay off.

Nicolas has what all football players envy — a natural ability spawned not necessarily after years of crafting, but instead by some unseen force. As a 6-foot-3, 224-pound defensive end, who added outside linebacker to his duties last Saturday while logging three sacks in Tech's 19-9 win against Pittsburgh, the speedy Nicolas has a knack for making quarterbacks squirm.

Not bad for a kid none of the major Football Bowl Subdivision programs wanted coming out of Atlantic High in Delray Beach, Fla. If he continues his upward trend, he could turn out to be one massive recruiting oversight.

"If Dadi's not making plays, it's probably just a technique error or something he can correct," said Tech starting defensive end James Gayle, a Bethel High graduate. "That guy is built to make plays.

"He still has stuff to work on, like anybody, but once he gets his technique together he's going to be a force to be reckoned with in the ACC, even though he already is right now."

Nicolas, a native of Haiti who moved to Delray Beach when he was three months old, is finding his way on the field as a key reserve for No. 19 Tech (6-1 overall, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). With Pittsburgh playing a max protection blocking scheme on offense, Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster thought it might be a good idea to put Nicolas on the field as an outside linebacker to do one thing — attack quarterback Tom Savage.

"I was excited," said Nicolas of his role against Pittsburgh. "That's just making the game much (more fun). I think I have the ability to play that position, so when he told me about it, I was excited and looking forward to it. We did it, and I like it."

Gayle, who touted Nicolas' abilities before the start of the season, wasn't surprised by Nicolas' performance against Pittsburgh. Gayle is hoping Tech's coaches can get himself, Nicolas and defensive end J.R. Collins on the field together more in the future.

"If Dadi would've had six sacks, I wouldn't have been surprised that day," said Gayle, who had one of Tech's eight sacks against Pittsburgh.

"It's going to be a long day for any quarterback if the coaches are able to find a way for all three of us to be on the field at the same time."

Nicolas, who committed to Minnesota for a while and had scholarship offers from Kansas, Florida Atlantic, Florida International and Western Michigan, has had to get on a straight path off the field in his short time in Blacksburg.

Before the start of his redshirt freshman year, he was suspended from the team in June 2012 as a result of an arrest stemming from a bike theft incident a month earlier on Tech's campus. He was charged with felony second-degree grand larceny, but the charge was reduced to misdemeanor petit larceny.

He was ordered in Montgomery County General District court to perform 125 hours of community service. Tech reinstated him to the football team on Aug. 30, 2012, but he was behind the curve in terms of learning the defensive end position. He's finally making up ground.

"I'm just more comfortable," Nicolas said. "This is a big D-I college football program, so it's complex and it's hard when you first come in as a freshman. Not everybody can pick up on the plays like that. It was a little struggle for me. … I got more comfortable out there. I know what to do so I'm not thinking too much. I can just play."

On Tuesday night, reporters were given the opportunity to talk to Nicolas for the first time since his suspension from the team. He didn't have much to offer when asked what he'd taken from the arrest and suspension.

"I don't want to talk about that," Nicolas said. "I'm past that."

By missing all of preseason practices prior to the 2012 season, Nicolas had trouble getting on the field. He started to turn the corner in the spring, challenging Collins for a starting defensive end job.

Atlantic High has been good to Tech over the past decade. The high school has produced Nicolas, wide receiver David Clowney, cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Jayron Hosley, quarterback Mark Leal, defensive tackle Luther Maddy — all of whom have been either starters or key backups for Tech.

When Tech was looking at Nicolas and Maddy in the '11 recruiting class, it wasn't clear if the Hokies would have enough scholarships available to get the duo. Two scholarships opened up just before Signing Day, and Tech used them on Nicolas and Maddy.

"I told him I thought the kid had a chance to be drafted high when he got here, just looking at the raw ability," said Wiles, who added Nicolas was about 193 pounds in his senior year of high school, and he'd like to see Nicolas get up to about 250 pounds.

BLACKSBURG — After living in Pittsburgh's backfield Saturday for much of No. 24 Virginia Tech's 19-9 win, defensive end James Gayle had occasion to get to know battered Panthers quarterback Tom Savage between plays.

As trainers carted Jerry Ugokwe off the Unitas Stadium field last November, William and Mary football coach Jimmye Laycock couldn't avoid the thought: His team's entire starting offensive line, a group with so much promise and youth, was wiped out by injury.

Robbie Babb posted his third and fourth victories of the season with a clean sweep of twin 30-lap Modified races, the featured events of Saturday evening’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program at Langley Speedway.